


little by little

by wingsaloof



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Ficlet, Fluff, Future Fic, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14717414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsaloof/pseuds/wingsaloof
Summary: Banri needs to have a talk with Tsumugi, about some things of the past and some of the present. Hopefully, some of the future as well.





	little by little

**Author's Note:**

> originally made as part of the [full bloom fan letters](https://fullbloomfanletters.dreamwidth.org/527.html?thread=31503#cmt31503) exchange!

“Tsumugi-san, can we have a talk outside?”

  
Banri approached him after lunch, the taste of dessert still lingering in his mouth. Today was a feast, a celebration for the members who had just come back from the coming of age ceremony. As part of this group, the Autumn Troupe leader still wore his suit, albeit without the jacket, belt thrown away long ago, his tie unlaced, shirt buttons open. Even as an adult, Banri was still much like his younger self, and that was both refreshing and relieving for Tsumugi. Being invited to have a private talk, though, was a little anxiety-inducing. The last time that happened, years ago, Tsumugi thought that maybe their friendship would be ruined forever.

 

At that time, Banri was still a high-schooler and Tsumugi still felt a distance from his fellow leaders, since he was so apartin age and experience from them. Aside from meetings, his interactions with Tenma and Sakuya were mostly tutoring. He had made progress with Banri, thanks to their coffee shop rendezvous, so when he invited Tsumugi to go out later that afternoon, he didn’t think much of it.

That’s it, until Banri said he needed to have a talk.

Being a teenager is a very delicate phase of one’s life. Everything is happening at once and it all feels so confusing. For Tsumugi, it was understandable as to why Banri would come to him for advice… even if the topic in question wasn’t of his expertise.

“I’m in love.”

It was the first time seeing him so nervous. Banri Settsu, confidence in person, who lives in Super Ultra Easy Mode, was fidgeting, almost stumbling on his words. Avoiding looking at his friend directly, he uttered the words.

‘Cute’, Tsumugi thought, unable to hold back a smile. Wondering who could be the target of that affection, there was a plethora of options. Having a conversation about family some time ago, the boy confessed that, just like his sister, he wasn’t one to consider gender when falling in love. That meant that he could fall for anyone inside the troupe. The first person to pop into his mind was Juza, as Banri could go on rambling about his roommate all day long. Tough love, maybe. There was also Sakuya, since the both of them seemed to be closer every day, hanging out after school… and Sakuya was such a sweet boy, honestly, he was so cute. Going by the leaders, Tenma could also be an option? They also hang out together a lot, going shopping, even sharing clothes sometimes… And that’s all without considering other wilder options, such as a crush on one of the adults, like Itaru, or someone he doesn’t talk to that much but is still close to, like Taichi, or maybe it could be the director herself, or even someone from school! Even if he doesn’t have friends outside the troupe.

“Are you listening?” Banri’s scolding brought him back to Earth, even if his tone changed right away. “I mean, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

“I am. Sorry for getting distracted.” Tsumugi sipped on his coffee, completely ready to listen to any queries. “Go on.”

As if trying to gather words, Banri’s stare hopped around, from his mug, to his cell phone over the table, to the paintings in the wall, to the plants in the entrance, to the street and further, further away from that table. By now, he probably had regretted bringing that up.

“You know, you don’t need to say anything now, only when you’re ready.”

“You.”

“Sorry?”

That took Tsumugi entirely by surprise. It never crossed his mind that he was an option. Or did Banri mean something else? Was he jumping to conclusions, or maybe Banri was just starting his confession about someone else asking a question, or…

“I love you, Tsumugi-san.” 

If this was one of Muku’s romantic comedy comics, he would have choked on his coffee, turning into a super-deformed drawing. Tsumugi had to admit it was very much like himself to not consider this option, and now he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t even think of Banri as a potential love interest – it was all so sudden, and in his eyes, Banri was still so young, too young, he should be with someone around his age, who would understand him, someone whose personality fits with his, someone who can keep up with him…

The silence had dragged on for much longer than Tsumugi thought, as he tried to process the information. Fortunately, Banri kept his composure, as if just by confessing, he lifted a weight from his shoulders. Before he could structure a reply, the younger boy went ahead of him.

“What would you think if I said that?” He smirked. “I was just joking. The person I like is a kid from school, from Masumi’s class. Not much of a troublemaker, but can keep up a good fight…”

As Banri went on about his supposed crush, it because painfully obvious that it was just a cop-out. Of course, he could fool anyone with that act, – how long had he planned that excuse? – but Tsumugi could read right through him. For the best, though, it was better to pretend that really never happened, unless the boy himself brings it up

And in the end, it may as well never have happened. Days and weeks went by, Tsumugi feeling a bit awkward when it was just the two of them, but life just kept passing. The years flew away, Banri was now an adult, but the memory of that day couldn’t go away. Something close to guilt was still in Tsumugi’s heart, and another something close to regret grew up inside him.

Since that day, he couldn’t look at Banri in the same way he always did.   


As time passed by, Tsumugi further noticed every little charming detail around Banri. The different ways his lips curved up when he smiled or smirked, the amount of care that went into his hair, his voice dropping in unexpected places, his college bag brimming with well-kept yet thoroughly examined textbooks.

And then, when Tsumugi wouldn’t be expecting it, Banri would look back at him, and he’d just lose track of whatever he was doing. It was impossible to deny that weird, acknowledged mutual pinning, and knowing the both of them, the reason why they were going to have that conversation was clear enough.

“Congratulations on becoming an adult.” Tsumugi giggled nervously, trying to break the ice. “I didn’t have the chance to say it earlier, sorry.”

“Don’t worry. Thank you.” He briefly smiled, hands on pocket, showing a relaxed stance. “Can we cut right to the main issue, though?”

“It’s about your past confession.” Instead of questioning, he went straight to an affirmative.

“Yeah. I never fooled you, right?” Banri looked genuinely embarrassed because of his failure. ‘Cute’, Tsumugi thought. “I wish I had the courage to go through it on that day, even if it was only going to lead me to rejection. I just wanted to have the chance to thank you, though, for listening to me. Somewhat, all of that helped me to mature a lot.”

“I’m glad.” It’s not like he could think of more things to say. Banri seemed to be going in a very opposite direction of what he thought this would go to, and it was better to just follow his lead and respect his feelings. If he wasn’t ready for it, then Tsumugi wouldn’t be either. “That’s it?”

“No, I’m not done yet.” Straightening up, Banri assumed a more respectful posture, looking as if he was ready to go down on a knee. “I have grown up and all that stuff, but my feelings are still the same. The only difference is that now I’m mature enough to not run away from them. Tsumugi-san, I’m still in love with you. I’ve been crushing on you for years now, and we both know that I’m not alone on this, right?”

Tsumugi almost gasped over how straightforward that had been. It was funny, while Banri had grown up, he still was the same as ever. Maybe that’s why he ended up falling for him as well. After all, it was so comfortable to be around him, as inconsistent as that thought was. Instead of answering, he ended up laughing softly.

“I love you too.” Saying that felt so foreign, the words leaving an unknown taste in the tip of his tongue. It felt almost tentative, like trying to find the right intonation for a certain sentence in his script. That wasn’t acting, though, and Tsumugi was sure of that – little by little, Banri made his way inside his heart.

Banri probably would disagree with it, but Tsumugi thought that not being able to confess on that day was for the best; just like he said, it would only lead to instant rejection. With time to let them grow up and into each other, things took a turn for the better. At that time, Tsumugi had no eyes for him – but now seeing this man in front of him, his heart made all sorts of weird acrobatics. ‘There’s a right time for everything, after all’, he thought, taking a step closer, letting Banri embrace him.

“Thank you”, he whispered into Tsumugi’s ear. As a reply, he tightened the hug, feeling all of Banri’s warmth around him, his smell mixed with the flowers surrounding them. Hoping that he’d never grow tired of that.


End file.
